KLA-Tencor Opens New e-Beam Demo Center to Help Chipmakers Accelerate Yields On Sub-0.13-Micron Copper Processes
Teams With FEI Company to Create Complete e-Beam Inspection, Review And Characterization Line
SAN JOSE, Calif., July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- KLA-Tencor Corp. (Nasdaq: KLAC - news) has opened the first customer demo center to feature a full line of e-beam inspection, review and characterization systems for sub-0.13-micron copper applications. Featuring KLA-Tencor's eS20XP inspection and eV300 SEM review tools, as well as an Altura 865 DualBeam(TM) characterization system from FEI Company (Nasdaq: FEIC - news), the new demo line will give chipmakers access to the state-of-the-art e-beam technologies needed to accelerate yields on today's most advanced semiconductor processes.
Located at KLA-Tencor's Silicon Valley-based corporate campus, the e-beam demo center will greatly reduce the amount of time needed to conduct causal analysis of electrical defects on customers' product wafers. By using the Altura 865 to cross-section electrical defects found by the eS20XP during inspection, customers will gain immediate feedback on the source of the defects that reside below the wafer's surface. As a result, they will be able to reduce the defect analysis cycle on product wafers from weeks to a matter of hours.
According to Stefano Concina, vice president and general manager of KLA-Tencor's E-Beam Division, the new demo line was created in response to escalating customer interest in the company's e-beam-based yield management solutions. ``The rapid market adoption of our e-beam inspection and SEM review systems, as well as FEI's DualBeam systems, underscores both the challenges associated with sub-0.13-micron copper processes, as well as the need for breakthrough defect inspection and analysis capabilities to overcome them.''
For chipmakers needing this technical edge, the new e-beam demo center will help them more closely approximate the results they will see in production. It will also help them understand how e-beam technology can be leveraged to shrink the yield learning loop -- speeding time to volume, time to market and time to profit for each new device generation.
Concina added that FEI was the obvious choice for a causal analysis partner given its industry-leading position in dual focused ion beam technology. ``The addition of FEI's Altura tool to our demo center is an important step forward in bringing e-beam technology to the forefront of process control and yield management for today's latest-generation semiconductors.''
Inside the Demo Center:
The eS20XP: With industry-leading charge control technology and the sensitivity to detect sub-100 nm physical defects and electrical failures within devices at speeds significantly higher than competing e-beam (electron beam) tools, the eS20XP is the preferred system for the successful development, ramp and production of high-end logic, memory, microprocessors and digital signal processors.
The eV300: The eV300 delivers a four-fold increase in productivity compared with manual scanning electron microscope (SEM) review systems. Superior defect classification and analysis accuracy, and close coupling with the eS20XP, make the eV300 a high-throughput and effective defect review tool ideally suited for both in-line monitoring and engineering analysis of sub-0.13-micron applications.
The Altura 865: Featuring a unique DualBeam technology, the Altura 865 integrates and automates precision cross sectioning with high-resolution imaging and materials analysis, utilizing its focused ion beam technology and e-beam subsystems. These integrated capabilities enable the characterization of features on and below the wafer surface, providing a new and powerful method for device manufacturers to determine the source of critical process defects.
In addition to the Altura 865 system, FEI will provide the new demo lab with applications support personnel to assist KLA-Tencor's customers in achieving faster defect analysis results. The new demo center is located at the company's headquarters in San Jose, Calif.
About FEI Company: FEI is the 3D innovator and leading supplier of Structural Process Management(TM) solutions to the world's technology leaders in the fields of semiconductors, data storage, structural biology and industry. Its range of industry-leading DualBeam(TM) and single column focused ion and electron beam products enables manufacturers and researchers to keep pace with technology shifts and develop next generation technologies and products. The Company's products allow advanced three-dimensional metrology, device editing, trimming and structural analysis for management of sub-micron structures including those found in integrated circuits, high density magnetic storage devices, industrial materials, chemical compounds, and biological structures. FEI solutions deliver enhanced production yields, lower costs and faster time to market-critical benefits in highly competitive markets. Headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon, FEI has more than 1,500 employees worldwide, with additional development and manufacturing operations located in Peabody, Massachusetts; Eindhoven, The Netherlands; and Brno, Czech Republic. FEI's Internet site can be accessed at feicompany.com .
About KLA-Tencor: KLA-Tencor is the world leader in yield management and process control solutions for semiconductor manufacturing and related industries. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., the company has sales and service offices around the world. An S&P 500 company, KLA-Tencor is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol KLAC. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at kla-tencor.com .
NOTE: DualBeam is a trademark of FEI Company.
SOURCE: KLA-Tencor Corp. |
